Catching Wind
by RueBuddy
Summary: 3rd Hunger Games Book. Facing the capitol.
1. Welcome Back

**Okay, so I am super ADD when it comes to writing stories. I have trouble reading the boring parts, and even more writing them, so I just do what I can and sum up the boring parts and go back and do details later. Weird, I know. I can't wait for the 3rd book to come out, but just in case it's not how I want it to end, I'm making my own 3rd book.**

**So here it goes....**

_After __Catching Fire,__ Katniss and__Gale and the rest that were on the hovercraft land in the super-advanced underground District 13. There, they meet their familes and Madge, who was helping overthrow the Katniss and Finnick recover from the Quarter Quell, they are sent by Plutarck and Haymitch to the Capitol to kill President Snow and rescue Peeta and Johanna. After they return , Peeta and Johanna are sent to Underground Floor 7 (the Hospital and Rehab center) to be treated, because the had undergone severe torture._

_This is Peeta and Johanna's first night out of UF 7._

At night, nightmares of the arena still haunt me. Awful memories of Glimmer's body and Cato's slow, painful death mixed with more recent terrors of the Quarter Quell. Madge walking into the poisonous fog. Peeta's heart stopping after he hit the force field. Finnick paralyzed and twitching as we lowered him into the water at the beach.

I wake up in a cold sweat and try to pull myself together. As I lay in bed later that night, waiting for sleep, I hear the door open.

"Peeta?" I call into the darkness.

"How did you know it was me?" he asks.

"Well," I say, "for starts, you're loud"

"Oh." I knew he wasn't pleased with my answer.

"And," I continue," You're the only person I've had in my room at night except my mother and Prim, and their still with Gale's family in Underground Floor 7."

I feel him climb into my bed. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Not even Gale?"

I roll over to look at him. _What was he getting at?_

"Not even Gale." I confirm. I turn over again and change the subject.

"I'm glad you're back," I admit, "The nightmares have been getting worse and I haven't slept in days." I pause. Should I tell him about Gale? About how we'd talk out in the hall late at night when I couldn't sleep. No. It would only make him angry.

"Me either." He responds," Torture has a funny way of keeping you awake."

Poor Peeta. I had never thought of that. I mean, I knew he was really sick from hitting the force field in the games, but I had never thought that he was being tortured for information. All I could think about was that I had to save him.

* * *

Next thing I know, someone is jarring me awake. My head hurts and my skin is hot and splotchy. Peeta has both his hands on my shoulders.

"Katniss, Katniss! It's alright, it's just a dream! Wake up."

He sits beside me and pushes aside the hair in my face. My feverish mind hears Peeta's voice, far far away.

"It's okay Katniss, it's alright, alright.."

* * *

The next morning I wake up to Peeta holding up a big breakfast tray with coffee from District 11 and a plate full of Peeta's lavishly decorated cookies.

I grin.

"Mmm, looks good!" I look around, " How long was I out?"

"Awhile." He puts the tray on the table to the bed.

"Thanks," I say," for everything."

He nods. "Hey, I made something for you."

Peeta pulls out a small painting. It is of us. At the hunger games. In our cave.

I hold the picture in my hands.

"Is this what you were working on while you were on Underground Floor 7?"

He looks away and blushes.

"It's beautiful." I reassure him. Then I lean in and kiss him. I guess I don't hear the door, because the next thing I know, Gale is standing in the doorway, leaning against it's frame.

I pull away.

"Gale!" I exclaim.

Peeta sighs. "You're back."

"Back?"

" I was here earlier, but Peeta said you were still sleeping." Gale says, glancing at Peeta, who is shirtless, exposing the scars he acquired at the capitol. I glance around, looking for where it went. Then I see that _I'm _the one wearing it.

Now it's my turn to blush. Gale had been here earlier. I can only imagine what Gale was thinking. Peeta had answered the door while I was sleeping. I had never told Gale about our sleeping arrangement.

He doesn't seem to affected by this much, though. "Well, now that you're up, Haymitch and Plutarch need to see you and me, and Peeta, Madge needs you to help her with the bread for the district refugees on Underground floor number four."

Peeta gets up and leaves quickly, taking his picture with him. Gale sits on a nearby chair why I shower and change. We both walk down to the main operations room.

Plutarch, Haymitch and Finnick are huddling over some computers in the far corner of the room. We both sit down in one of those white circular chairs and wait for them.

"So what are we down here for?" Gale asks.

Haymitch sighs and turns around. " The Capitol," he says," They're here."

"In District 13?" I say. The words roll out my mouth and I stand up invoulntarily. "The can't be here!" I clench my fist. " They _won't_ be here."

Haymitch continues as if he has not heard me. "They have just enter Underground Floor 3 and are rapidly aproaching us here on Floor 11. We've evacuated most of the refugees from other districts to District 10 via underground railway, as 10 is the most stable district at this point and all other transportation is unavailable."

_Peeta_.

Gale reads my thoughts. "Madge and Peeta aren't on Underground Floor 7. They just didn't want us to worry, right?"

"Right." Plutarch says, finally ungluing his eyes from the computer screens. "Madge and Peeta have been taken to Underground Floor 26, and you will be joining them soon."

Two JaySoldiers appear at the doorway. I look confused

"Wait, what? I thought there were only 25 floors in District 13?"

Finnick smiles. "That's what shows up on the blueprints. That's what we want people to think. Their are 32. The last seven are Safe rooms and government intelligence offices for the New Panem."

The guards at the door are at my side in an instant. They guide me to the door. I look back. " Gale, are you coming?"

He stands next to Haymitch and Plutarch. " I'll stay and make sure everyone else gets evacuated to District 10."

My eyes plead with his and he sees the pain he is putting me through, not knowing if he will be alright.

"Don't act like your care. I'll be fine."

With that, the JaySoldiers lead me out to the East Elevator.

Peeta and I wait for hours in our safe room, which really doesn't look any different from our room on Underground Floor 11. Madge had brought his paint supplies for him, so for most of the day I watch him paint and nap intermittently. As it gets later and later, I begin to worry about Gale. I pace back and forth. I bite my nails. Madge arrives with no news of Finnick, Plutarch, Haymitch, or Gale. For a while, we worry together, then she returns to her room, leaving me and Peeta alone again.

I decide to take the chance to talk to him about this morning.

"What did you tell Gale this morning?" I ask.

He holds back a smile. " I don't know what your talking about."

"The way Gale acted this morning, when I woke up," I say, "Did you say anything to make him assume that we were...."

Peeta laughs and puts down his brush momentarily. " I didn't tell him were doing anything." He picks up his brush again and points it at me. ",but if he assumed we were, well, who am I to get between a man and his assumptions!"

I run over to him and shove him playfully. He ficks green paint on my nose. I get some yellow paint and flick some back at him. Pretty soon we are both spackled in paint. Peeta cleans up the mess while I shower, and then I go to Madge's room to check on her while he takes a shower. We both go to bed and attempt to sleep.

Just as sleep is just about to hit me, the hall door opens and the automatic lights turn on. We are blinded by the incandescent light. I groan.

"Peeta, turn off the light!"

"Katniss, it's not me."

"Katniss." A familiar voice says.

It's Gale.

We both sit up, still squinting, adjusting to the light. Gale has Haymitch hoisted up next to him. He looks badly wounded. I rub my eyes.

" Ww-what's going on? Gale are you okay? What happened to Haymitch?"

Gale struggles to support Haymitch's body.

" I got shot," Haymitch says weakly, "they grabbed us but we escaped. They are minutes, 3 at the most behind us. We have to stop them. Were taking this tunnel to the Manual Emergency room. From there we can stop the capitol troops and force them to retreat." Gale half-walks half-drags Haymitch to the opposite side of our room where, behind a box was indeed a secret tunnel.

"What can we do to help?" Peeta asks, now fully awake.

Haymitch turned to face Peeta. " Make sure they don't get into this room If they get in here they are sure to find the tunnel ." He looked at him dead in the eye. "Convince them that they_ don't _want to be here. Convince them that _they_ don't need to be here."

Gale glares at Haymitch. HAymitch and Gale duck into the tunnel and are gone in an instant. I look at Peeta, who looks really confused. " Wait, what?" he calls after them.

Then it clicks.

"Peeta, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Do you trust me?" he says, ignoring my question.

Now it's my turn to be confused. "Wait, what?" I can just start to hear the capitol soliders marching up the hallway.

"Katniss, do you trust me?"

Goodness, Peeta, now your seriously freaking me out, what's up with you?"

He looks desperately at the open door as the marching and the yelling gets louder. "Katniss, ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

"Yeah, Peeta of course I trust you!"

He points to my pajama pants. "Take them off." He looks at the door anxiously again. "Hurry."

I feel my cheeks turning red. " Peeta, what is.."

"The shirt too." He adds. I am so out of it and confused and tired that I do as he says. He takes off his shirt and tells me to put it on.

They yelling and stomping get louder and louder. Peeta puts his hand on my cheek. " Katniss, do you trust me?"

"Peeta!!"

With that, he lunges towards me and starts kissing me. So I kiss him back. But he kisses me different. Like he did when we were in front of the cameras. Not passionately, just desperately. He clutches my shoulders and drags me so I am sitting on top of him. He holds me close and sprinkles tiny kisses on my neck.

The marching stops, and out of the corner of my eye I see the Capitol soldiers standing in the door. Peeta breaks his lips away from mine.

" Can I help you gentlemen?" He says, in a cocky way that suprises me.

They all talk at once in a dull roar. Then the shortest man speaks up. "We are looking for Plutarch Heavensbee, the traitor, and his accomplice, your tutor, you seen them?"

Peeta kisses me lighty on the neck again and tightens his arms around my waist. " Honestly Sir, we haven't . Now if you don't mind."

He leans in and kisses me again before they had time to respond. I focus on kissing him again, and we hear the door close and the marching continuing down the hallway. After a minute he moves me back off of him and we turn off the lights.

"Listen, Katniss, I just....Haymitch..."

"I got it." I say.

**Okay, So I read through Hunger Games and Catching Fire again and tried my best to capture Suzanne Collins' "voice." If that makes any sense. PLEASE COMMENT AND REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!!!**


	2. President

**Hey Hey. Merry Christmas everybody!! I did add some to Chapter 1 that wasn't there before about being attacked by the Capitol or what not, so check that out if you haven't been back in a while. **

**Remember friends, I'm super ADD with writing, so be patient with me!!**

**PS: AS OF NEXT CHAPTER, THIS STORY WILL GO FROM K+ to T, just to be safe. **

_After the attack, Haymitch manages to send the capitol retreating and everyone is allowed to go back to their regular quarters. Peeta and Katniss are told that they will have a meeting the next morning, but just as they are about to leave Cinna's wife tells them the meeting is postponed._

_BTW-Cinna died, and cinna's wife is with them at D13 to help however she can. Oh, and Katniss has let Gale go and him and Madge are together._

Cinna's wife leaves, and I plop on the bed, shoes and all. Peeta joins me.

District 13, being underground completely, has no natural sunlight at all. Artificial sunlight is pumped into every room, and ours is no exception. Our east wall is all water; one big fish tank. There is a couple colorful fish in ours, and light streams through from behind it, reflecting on all our walls.

Peeta looks at me, the light dancing on my face. "You are so beautiful," he says, putting his hand on my cheek. I smile at him. He leans in and kisses me. I run my hands through his dirty blond hair, and really I want to keep going, but there's something on my mind. I break away from him just as his hands start to wander.

"I'm sorry, Katniss, I didn't mean to... yesterday was... but I thought now you..." He blushes.

I put a finger to his lips. "It's not that. Not at all. It's just, I'm trying to think."

"Think about what?" Peeta says, sitting up.

"I dunno. During the Games, I though there was no hope so I didn't bother thinking about the future. The same thing with the Quell. But now, it's seems like we may have a chance."

I still lay flat on the bed, and Peeta's shinning figure hovers over me. He plays with my braid, wrapping it around his finger.

"For us?" He asks.

I sit up abruptly, almost hitting Peeta in the head. "No, for the country. For the New Panem. What will happen once the Capitol is destroyed? Will we have a King or a President or what? What will happen to the districts?"

Peeta lays back down and puts his hands behind his head. " I don't know, Katniss. That would be something to talk about at the meeting. But I think we'll still have a President just like before. Only..."

I lay down next to him, on my side, putting my arm on his chest and my leg over his.

"Only what?"

He smirks. "..Only something tells me it won't be President Snow. He seems to have fallen on hard times, and I don't think he has what it take to run a country."

I laugh. "And what does it take to run a country?"

"Well, first of all," Peeta says, brushing a flyaway behind my ear, "you need a heartbeat."

We both crack up laughing and laugh until we're red in the face. I sigh.

" No, seriously though. If anyone should be president, it should be you."

Peeta laughs again. " No Katniss, I could never...." Then he gets quiet.

Minutes later, he speaks. " Would you be my first lady?"

"Always." I give him a quick kiss. " I'm being serious though."

He stands up and gives me his hand, "So am I. Let's go."

"Go?" I say as he pulls me up. " Go where?"

Peeta grabs my jacket. " To volunteer!"

"Wait," I say as he heads out the door, " Let's go by Madge's!"

We go by Madge's room, but it's locked. So we go on to the operation room where Haymitch and Plutarch are talking strategy, and of course they love the idea. Then we go by Madge's again. I try the door.

"I know she's in here." I slam my shoulder into the door again, "This is so weird. She never locks the door."

"Maybe she is changing or something," Peeta says, sounding annoyed, "come on, let's go."

I ram my hip into the door one last time. This time it opens. Sure enough, Madge was in there. But she isn't changing.

Finnick is on her bed, sitting up, and Madge is in nothing but a big shirt I assumed to be his. There are books everywhere, but there is absolutely no studying going on. Both are kissing intensely, and not one of has notice our presence.

"Madge! How could you! How could you!" I scream. I lung for her, but Peeta pulls me back, kicking and screaming. Madge gets off of him and pushes me and Peeta into the hallway and closes the door behind her.

She is furious. "How dare you break into my room? Didn't you see that it was locked!"

I try to slug her but Peeta holds me back again. " How dare me? How dare YOU!! Gale loves you! You promised me you'd take care of him!"

Madge's screams turn into tears. " Katniss, my dad is dead! I just found out this morning. Finnick was here and, I, I-I don't know what happened. Gale was away and...."

Mayor Undersee's death hit me like a District train, but I am not about to back down. " And what? You just leave Gale, just like that? I trusted you take care of my best friend, and just when things get a little rough, you leave him for the first guy there to console you? Just like, like.."

"Like you!" She screams. And with that, she turns around and goes into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Then everything goes black.

** I am trying my best to write using Suzanne Collins' "voice" Tell me what you think!!**

** COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT!!! REVIEWS= MORE CHAPTERS**


	3. Sick

**Sorry It's been so long!!!**

I open my eyes and I'm back in my bed again. Finnick, Gale, and Madge sit at the table next to the fish tank wall, while Haymitch paces back and forth. Prim hovers over me.

"Afternoon sunshine!" she says, smacking her gum. Finnick needs to stop giving her that stuff, I thought.

I scratch my head. "What am I doing here?"

At the sound of my voice, Peeta appears out of nowhere and is sitting next to me in an instant. He holds my hand.

"You passed out." he explains.

""Yep," Prim nods," and now I'm going to tell mother that you're awake."

With that, she hops off my bed and skips out the door. I feel disoriented, and my stomach is churning, but I still try to get out of bed. I lose my balance and fall back, but Peeta catches me.

"Maybe you should take it easy," he says," You've been through a lot today, and you just woke up. Just relax."

So I lay back down and wait for my mother to show up. While I wait, Peeta gently strokes my hair and tries to get me to eat something. He tries to kiss me once or twice, but I'm not in the mood, and my stomach is in knots. Besides, I'm not comfortable with making out with Peeta in front of Gale; even if he is over me.

I'm feeling queasy again, and soon I find myself keeling over the side of the bed, puking my guts out into the trash can.

I sit up, dizzy.

Just then my mother walks in with Prim. She smiles.

"I'm glad you're up," she says, pulling out a small bottle," I think I have something that…"

She stops and grimaces. "You vomited, didn't you?"

I do not want to go through this right now, so I avoid her question. I try to get up. I planned on signing up for school on Underground Floor 6. The deadline is today and I don't have time to be sick.

"I'm just dehydrated." I say, grabbing the bottle of water I had rejected moments earlier, " I'll be fine, I just need to drink some water."

She knows I'm lying, but plays along. " Okay," she says, " Have you eaten anything today though?"

"Just some bread." I respond. Oh no, I think. And before I can say anything else, there I am, spilling my insides into the trash again.

Gale laughs, and Finnick gives a low whistle.

Prim steps closer. "Katniss, are you in pain?" she asks, pouring me some ice tea.

I stop and think. "No, not really," I mutter.

"Do you have a fever?" Mother inquires.

I groan. By now I am so sick of the twenty questions, that I don't say anything.

Peeta touches my forehead. I'm surprised he is still on the bed with me.

"No." He confirms.

" When was the last time you and Katniss…"

I cut her off. "Mother!" I yell. I feel myself turning beet red and cover my face with the bed sheets.

Madge tries to appear calm, while Finnick and Gale are trying hard not to laugh.

Peeta sighs. "Mrs. Everdeen, Katniss and I haven't ever…."

She cuts him off with another question.

"And when was the last time you had your period, Katniss?" She continues, yelling so I can hear her, completely oblivious.

I pull the bed sheets off my head and sit there, completely stunned.

Peeta stammers." I-I don't know. Katniss?"

I stumble to my feet and trip towards my mom. "Mother! We are not talking about this right now!"

I bulldoze her and Prim towards the door. " I am just fine!!" I yell.

Finnick, Madge and Gale are still at the table. " And you can leave too!!" I scream, pushing Madge and Gale and a hysterical Finnick out the door. I slam the door shut with my back, and collapse on the floor.

Peeta helps me up and gets me back into bed. He gets me a another trash can and sets it by my side of the bed.


	4. Bread

**LOOK ! I didn't take forever!!**

When I calm down, Peeta calls my mother back in, without the peanut gallery. She gives me some herbal tea and antibiotics, and tells me to get plenty of rest. _Rest_, I think, _I'm sick of rest_. But I obey and look over the plans Plutarch sent me like a week ago. As I look over them, I realize that making the New Panem will take longer and be harder then I thought it'd be.

As I lay in bed, Peeta comes in with more disgusting tea and District 13 bread, which is sweeter then the other districts'.

He sets it on the table. "Finally getting to do some reading, huh?"

I ignore his comment. "Did you sign me up for school?" I say distractedly, engrossed in reading.

"Yeah," he sighs," Once Mother Doc gives you a clean bill of health, you're free to go."

"Whenever that is." I say smugly, "Speaking of which, what did she find out me?"

He smirks. "Besides the fact that you are stubborn and never listen to me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about when you came to get me for the meeting with Plutarch. You came to the kitchen. I was making bread and I had a big tray full of bread. I told you not to eat any. Then I went to go get Madge and…"

"Oh yeah! The ones at the end of the table, right?Those were really good," I say taking a bite of the bread he brought. I frown.

"Better than these." I put the roll back on the plate.

Peeta picks it up and looks at it closely.

"Hmmm I wonder why?" He says sarcastically," They look the same."

He sniffs it. " They smell the same,too."

Then he throws it across the room and gets in my face.

"MAYBE, IT'S THEIR LACK OF POISON!!!"

I make a face. "What are you talking about?" I pause. "Wait a minute, they were poisoned? Then why were they on the table!!"

"At the END of the table!" he corrects, "right next to the trash can! Mercy Katniss! Not everything in sight is for you to eat!"

"What kind of idiot makes poison rolls?" I yell, throwing the tray of food at him.

He sighs as the food lands on him and the ice tea runs down his forehead.

"The kind of idiot who is trying to get rid of the capitol," he says, getting up and walking towards the bathroom.

"We are fighting a war, Katniss. A REAL war. This isn't about who gets Gale or Finnick. This isn't about your family or my family or finishing school. This isn't even about who survives the arena or about you and me. This is about saving a country. This is about saving the world."

**RATE AND REVIEW !!! And give me some suggestions for Cinna's wife's name. I can't think of anything! MORE REVIEWS= MORE CHAPTERS!!!**


	5. Exams

**I'm really flying with these! And please, some suggestions for Cinna's wife's name! Any ideas would be great!!**

_ Katniss gets better and starts school. Haymitch tells everyone that it's not safe staying in District 13, so him and Plutarch make plans for Katniss, Peeta, Madge, and Finnick to leave and travel by foot to District 10, which is politcally stable at this point. _

I have been up all night studying. I know that we will be leaving within the week, and yet I want to finish my exams before we leave. I know it will be useless; I won't be able to finish my schooling until I return, If I return.

I hover over my books on my bed. Arithmetic, District Histories, Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology. Arithmetic was easy, and I remember District History from when I was in grade school. Kaarteck is our teacher in Chemistry, and he is really nice and helps us alot. But I can not get Anatomy and Physiology. Too many bones, too many muscles. I can't seem to keep them all in my head. It was hard enough learning the edible plants and flowers from my mother and father.

Peeta walks in with a tray. "Dinner!" He says.

I force a smile. "Thanks."

He goes to take a shower, and I stay brooding over my papers and textbooks. Twenty minutes later, Peeta comes out, and I am still studying. Frustrated, I chuck the book across the room and papers go flying.

"Still not getting it, huh?" Peeta asks, sitting on the bed.

I groan.

He laughs. "Maybe if you eat something..."

He picks up a piece of bread, and I take a bite. "Why don't you get some sleep and pick up tomorrow?"

I sigh. "I can't sleep until I get this."

"Well then, let me help." He stands up, takes off his shirt and goes to pick up the book I had thrown with all its papers, and grabs a marker off the table. I notice that Peeta's once pale and sickly skin has taken a golden hue. And though the scars from his torture in the capital are still visible, he is definitely more muscular and chiseled.

He hands them to me. I grab the book, but hold up the marker to him.

"What is this for?" I ask.

"To write..."

"Obviously."

"On me."

"What?"

"Write the muscle names on my skin," he explains, "Put each name exactly where it would be in the book. As you write them, say them over and over in your head. Then close your eyes and retrace your steps. It'll work."

I raise an eyebrow at him. _Doubt it_, I think. But I don't argue. I haven't got a better way. So between bites of bread and stew, I write out all of the names on him.

I stroke Peeta's neck. "Can't I take just a little peek?" I say, my eyes shut.

"Just think harder." He encourages.

I sigh.

He sighs.

And then, while I'm still trying to figure out the term, he pulls me in and kisses me. Our lips meet for a perfect second.

I pull away." I got it," I exclaim, my eyes still closed, "Sternocleidomastoid."

I open my eyes. "Right?"

"Right," he says, kissing me again.

"I guess you should get some rest then," Peeta says, getting out of be. He grabs a wet towel from the bathorrom and wipes off the marker on his skin. It comes off easily, and he gets back under the covers.

I undo the braid in my hair letting it hang about my shoulders.

"Yeah, maybe," I say, pulling him up so he's sitting up next to me, " Or..." I lean in and kiss him. I feel his body tense up, and then relax as he puts his arms around me. I feel a surge of energy go through me and he pulls me closer. I take in a sharp breath.

He pulls back. "What? Do you want me to stop?" Peeta says gently.

I shake my head. "Not yet."

I run my hands through his dirty blonde hair. He starts kissing me again and I feel that same hunger for him as I felt on the beach during the quell. Suddenly, I hear a knock on the door and Peeta throws me off of him so quick I almost fall off the bed.

The door swings open. "Hey guys, what's up?" says Finnick.

"Actually we were just about to turn in for the night. Do you need something?"

Finnick steps closer. "Wait... Have you two been..." he eyes us both, " Because if you have, I have to tell Madge. She is gonna freak. She has.."

"What, since we were asked like, what, two seconds ago?" Peeta cuts in, "No, no we haven't. Now is that all you came to ask, or is there a legitimate reason why you're here?"

"Actually, yes," Finnick says nervously, "Haymitch wanted to make sure you guys are ready to leave. We leave day after tomorrow."

"We will be," Peeta answers, " Good Night Finnick."

He took a step back. " I can take a hint. Night guys."

He closes the door. Peeta turns to me, but I l lay on my side and cover my head with the blanket.

" I hate Finnick," I mumble. I feel him snuggle up behind me.

"Don't hate me though," he says, putting his arms around me.

I turn around and scoot closer. "I would never," I say and press my lips against his. He pulls me closer and his his hand pulls my thigh over his body. Comfortable, warm, and with his hand on my cheek, we fall asleep.

**RATE AND REVIEW PLEASE!!! STORY IDEAS ARE WELCOME!!**

**And no, there will be no lemons.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry I haven't written in like, forever! I've been really busy! But now school is out and I am back! Keep commenting; it really encourages me to keep going. Chasing Wind will officially stop in August; when Mockingjay comes out. After I read it, maybe I'll write more; idk.**

Cinna's wife, Tamri fixes the straps of our backpacks and adjusts our clothes and gear while Haymitch goes over the plan with us one more time.

"Do you remember the instructions I gave you?" he says, pacing.

"Yes," we all say in unison.

"What are they?" Haymitch asks.

We all groan. Finnick steps in front of Haymitch and puts one hand on his shoulder.

"Look at me. We got this. We have it all memorized. Every instruction, direction and precaution you gave us to learn and execute is right here," Finnick says, taping his right temple with his finger, "don't worry."

Haymitch looks at Finnick, then walks the other way, continuing to pace. "I'm never worried," he states, " only concerned."

"Well don't be concerned, then," Finnick chuckles.

Tamri opens the door of the briefing room and everyone comes in to say goodbye and wish us luck on our journey to district 10. I give mother and prim a big hug.

"This'll be over soon enough guys, and then I'll come back, I promise."

Mr. Mellark wishes everyone well and gives Peeta a hug. Then we all go to the elevator and a JaySoldier takes us up to Underground Floor 1. None of us have ever been there before, and we are all disappointed when we see it has little more than a couple janitor's closets and empty storage areas.

"Well, what did you expect?" The JaySoldier says, " In the event of an attack, this would be the first place we would get hit, assuming our enemies know our exact location; So why would we put anything of value up here?"

"That's true," Peeta agrees.

The JaySoldier leads us through a series of empty hallways and bedroom-sized broom closets until we reach a small ladder that connects to a closed hatch in the ceiling. He pulls the ladder down and motions with his hands.

"Okay," he says, " Who's up first?"

Finnick climbs up the ladder, and the JaySoldier pushes buttons on the keypad on a nearby wall. The hatch slides open, and Finnick crawls up and out.

Seconds later, he pops his head into the small window. " All clear, let's go!"

Madge goes next, then me, then Gale, then Peeta. Peeta is so much quicker now; now that his leg has been fixed. The capitols technology seem so amateur and outdated compared to District 13's . After rescuing him from the capitol, the District 13 medical specialists had not only nursed him to health after being tortured, but they also replaced Peeta's artificial leg to a lighter, stronger one.

He jumps to his feet now, and we wave down to Haymitch until the hatch closes.

We look around. District 13 looks nothing like the pictures we saw on the news. The once cleared place was now a young forest, with brush up to my waist and tall skinny trees with dark green leaves. Further in the distance, the mountains that separate District 12 and District 13 lie; gray and majestic. Peeta pulls out his compass, then snaps it shut.

"This way you guys," he leads, walking ahead of us.

We follow. We hike through the young forest, passing various small meadows and fields. Eventually we reach a large but shallow creek.

"This must be Lithim Creek," Madge exlaimed, " I heard it flowed right through the power plant before the explosion."

"You mean, boming," Finnick corrects.

"Yeah, that's what I meant," she says.

" The Underground District pumps all their water from this creek," Peeta states, " the whole water pumping station can be visible from above ground,but it's about a mile upstream, and that's not the direction we're heading. We need to fill up on water while we're here and keep moving. We don't want night to catch us in an open area."

He's right. If the capitol attack's 13 in the middle of the night, the first one's to go will be us. So we fill up our canteens and water jugs, which are still mostly full, and keep hiking. Peeta falls back after a while and Finnick takes the lead, making us run intermittently to keep our stamina up . We are barely in the mountains when the sun begins to set.

Finnick stops and catches his breath. "Okay guys, lets stop for today," he pants.

We all put our backpacks down and rest a second. Then Madge starts making a fire and I look through the food in our backpacks to assess our dinner options. Peeta goes to pick up sticks for the fire, and Finnick sits down with a some maps to plan out tomorrow's journey. I get out some dried turkey and put out a pan to warm up the water for it. Then I go and look for some herbs to make it taste better that I recognized on my way up the mountain. A flashlight would cause way to much attention, so I go out without it, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness.

As I pick some herbs, I feel a sharp pain in my hand and pull it away quickly. "Ow!" I yell.

"What are you doing over here, Katniss?" a fimiliar voice calls.

" Picking herbs," I say, so he waits around until I have enough, and the two of us walk back to camp.

Madge already has a descent size fire,and above it she placed the device Heavensbee gave us to disgused light and smoke. Finnick is boiling the turkey I left and has toasted some of the bread-like tortillas too.

"Now that you two love birds have come back from making out in the woods, do you think we can eat now?"

I give a sarcastic laugh and sit down, adding my herbs to the stew. It doesn't taste bad, and soon, we are all full. We pull out our sleeping bags and Madge puts out the fire and falls asleep right away. Finnick tosses and turns, and finally ditches the sleeping bag, finding a spot on a sunken in boulder.

"I guess we'll watch first", Peeta smiles, looking at me.

Without another word, he opens both of our sleeping bags and zips them together, making one giant sized bag. I lay my backpack as a pillow for us and we both snuggle together inside. We lay side by side; with my head on his chest looking up a the stars, telling stories and folktales our parents told to us growing up. when our eyes are heavy with sleep, and we're all out of stories, Peeta quietly slips out of the sleeping bag and wakes Finnick up. While he does this, I turn over and lay on my stomach, and just as I'm about to fall asleep, he comes back inside the sleeping bag and lays next to me. I'm to tired move, but as I fall asleep I feel him rubbing my back and humming something to me.


End file.
